Scene 5: Arrival at Kyoto and the Ryokan Mayhem
By late afternoon, the bus finally rolled into the heart of Kyoto, greeted by a serene skyline dotted with temple roofs and the green hills that hugged the city's edges. The students poured out, stretching dramatically as if they'd just returned from war.
"Ahh… finally. I thought I'd turn into a fossil back there," Renji groaned, cracking his back so loudly that a passing crow squawked in surprise.
"You are a fossil," Yume said as she yanked her suitcase along with one hand and slurped a juice pouch with the other.
Mr. Sakamoto leapt from the bus, dramatically planting a miniature Kyoto flag into the ground.
"Class 2-B, we have reached the promised land!" he announced. "Please form an orderly line based on the alphabetical order of your childhood dreams!"
"What?"
"No."
"Did he hit his head?"
The class ignored him and headed toward their ryokan — a traditional inn with sliding doors, tatami mats, and a koi pond that Hikaru was already judging silently.
Inside, the chaos began immediately.
"Boys on the left wing, girls on the right," the ryokan hostess said cheerfully, her voice perfectly calm despite the fact that half the students were already climbing over futons.
As expected, room assignments became a battleground.
"I REFUSE to share a room with Hikaru," Renji declared. "He sleep-talks in code."
"I accept this arrangement," Hikaru responded, completely unbothered. "You drool."
"I do not!"
"He's lying," Souta muttered, pulling out an extra towel. "I once mistook his pillow for a watermelon."
Meanwhile, in the girls' wing:
"THIS ROOM IS MINE!" Yume screamed as she dived onto a futon like a pro-wrestler.
"Too late! Already claimed it!" Rina shouted back, tackling her in a flurry of giggles.
Sakura, amused, let the chaos unfold as she quietly unpacked. Mizuki chose the farthest corner of the room, opened a book, and simply disappeared into reading mode.
"Want to share this side, Mizuki-chan?" Sakura asked gently.
"…Okay."
That simple response already made Sakura like her more.
Scene 6: The Group Bonding Walk — Lost in Translation
That evening, the group decided to explore the nearby streets after dinner. The streets of Gion lit up in warm amber hues, old wooden houses casting long shadows in the lantern glow.
"Let's go see the Yasaka Shrine!" Rina suggested, bouncing up and down excitedly.
"Didn't Mr. Sakamoto say we had to stay nearby?" Minato asked, frowning.
"Mr. Sakamoto also just tried to pay for dinner with Monopoly money," Sakura reminded.
Minato sighed. "Fair."
So the group—Sakura, Haruki, Renji, Hikaru, Yume, Souta, Minato, Rina, and Mizuki—set off.
At first, it was calm and aesthetic.
Then Yume tripped on a lantern.
Rina tried petting a cat that turned out to be a tanuki statue.
Renji tried "blending in with the locals" and accidentally photobombed a wedding shoot.
"Bro, we're gonna get arrested," Souta whispered as Renji bowed dramatically in the background of the bride's solo shot.
But it was Haruki and Sakura who slipped away from the group as they climbed toward a quiet, elevated viewpoint.
The city spread out below them, a glowing sea of rooftops under the indigo night.
Sakura's hand found Haruki's.
"I'm glad we came," she said softly.
"I'm glad you're here," he replied.
She glanced at him, cheeks red. "You're becoming good at this romance thing."
"Must be the fresh Kyoto air," he joked.
They leaned closer until Renji yelled from the hill, "ARE YOU GUYS KISSING?!"
They didn't. But Haruki grumbled, "We were about to."
Sakura turned to him and whispered in his ear, "We'll find a better moment."
His brain short-circuited for the next ten minutes.
Scene 7: Ninja Museum — Thanks, Sakamoto
The next day, Mr. Sakamoto led them on a "surprise cultural activity."
Which turned out to be a Ninja Museum he found via a flyer handed to him by a random man in a ramen shop.
"Students of Class 2-B, prepare to unlock your inner shinobi!" he declared, pulling out a plastic kunai he had clearly bought from a toy store.
"This is not on the itinerary," Minato mumbled.
"This is not even legal," Hikaru deadpanned.
But it was… shockingly fun.
There were secret passages, trap doors, shuriken throwing zones, and a suspiciously enthusiastic old man who kept jumping out of walls to yell, "You're DEAD!"
Renji screamed every time.
"Stop aiming for me!" he yelled, ducking a foam shuriken.
"That's not the ninja way!" Rina laughed as she chucked another.
Souta tried the blowdart challenge and accidentally hit himself in the shoulder.
Yume refused to leave the "ninja photo corner" until she'd posed with all ten prop swords.
Mizuki, meanwhile, took detailed notes on the weapon mechanisms and asked the guide fifteen questions, to which the man said, "You are… scarier than a ninja."
And Minato?
He got stuck in a trap door.
"Someone help, I fell into this false wall—"
"We'll come back for you," Haruki said.
"That's what they say in horror movies!"
Eventually they pulled him out with a rope made of tour brochures.
Scene 8: The Hot Spring Incident
On the final night, the students were granted the sacred reward of a traditional onsen bath.
Boys and girls, of course, were separated. But that didn't stop chaos from unfolding.
In the boys' bath:
"YOOOO this is the LIFE!" Renji shouted, dunking himself in hot water like a boiling shrimp.
"You're going to die of heat stroke," Hikaru said, sitting perfectly still, only his eyes visible above water.
Souta tried doing laps in the onsen.
Haruki looked like he'd melted into the water.
Then—
"IS THAT MINATO'S RIBS?!" Renji cried.
Everyone turned. Minato, pale and skinny, sat awkwardly in the corner.
"I-I know I'm thin, stop looking!"
"You could play xylophone on those abs, bro," Souta said.
"They're not abs, they're internal organs," Haruki added.
Meanwhile, in the girls' bath:
Rina was floating like a starfish, singing pop songs.
Yume had brought a waterproof speaker and was playing lo-fi music.
Sakura and Mizuki sat quietly at the edge, steam rising.
"You've been smiling more," Mizuki noted.
Sakura blinked. "Huh?"
"When you're around Haruki. You smile more."
Sakura flushed slightly. "Y-You noticed?"
"…I notice things," Mizuki said calmly. "I study people."
"Remind me never to talk in my sleep."
"You do. You said his name."
Sakura sank into the water, mortified.
Rina popped up between them. "Ooooh, what name?"
"OUT!" Sakura pushed her under.
Scene 9: The Final Morning — Saying Goodbye
The last morning came too fast.
Suitcases repacked, futons rolled up, and students dragging their feet to the bus.
Haruki walked beside Sakura, their pinkies subtly touching.
"I wish this trip didn't have to end," he said.
Sakura smiled. "That's what makes it special, idiot."
Renji, limping slightly from a futon wrestling match with Yume, slung his arm around Souta.
"Let's make sure next trip includes roller coasters."
"Or less shuriken," Souta added.
Hikaru nodded. "Or no Renji."
"Hey—"
Rina hugged Mizuki tightly. "Come hang out more, okay?"
Mizuki nodded. "Okay."
Minato, standing near the bus, looked around. He was usually quiet, but now, surrounded by laughter and noise, he allowed himself a smile.
"This was… fun."
Rina linked her arm with his. "Told you you'd like them."
He nodded. "I do."
And as they boarded the bus, Mr. Sakamoto blew his whistle one last time.
"Attention! As your great leader, I declare this mission a success!"
The students cheered, someone threw a sock at him, and the bus pulled away, Kyoto fading behind them like a dream.
Epilogue: Back at School
A week later, back in Class 2-B, things had returned to normal—or, well, as normal as they could get.
But the trip left its marks:
Haruki and Sakura were closer than ever. Holding hands wasn't awkward anymore. Whispering in class was just part of their daily routine.
Minato, Rina, and Mizuki officially joined their group. Mizuki still didn't talk much, but she started sharing snacks. That was her love language.
Renji was still loud. Hikaru was still judging him. Yume was already planning the next group outing. Souta claimed he "leveled up in charisma."
And Mr. Sakamoto?
He had somehow gotten invited to a Kyoto ninja club.
No one knew how. No one asked.